California - Northern

[tommysgirl]

Those of you with over amorous roos who love their ladies, be sure to keep a close eye on your girls. I have a splash Langshan hen who was easy and she let all the boys have their way with her. I'm only out at the farm once a week and I didn't realize how bad it was until it was almost too late. I knew that she was looking bare backed and a week later when I went to check on them, she was acting like she didn't feel well. She had a horrible abscess on the top of her leg where the roo/roos had dug into her. I brought her back into town and nursed her with Vetericyn. (That stuff is amazing IMO! And I use it on myself, too, Ron!) The abscess healed but she wouldn't use her leg. She just hopped around and earned the name Hop-a-long Cassidy. I started doing physical therapy with her in hopes that she would regain the use of her leg. A few weeks later, she was acting sick again. I checked her over very carefully and found another abscess buried under feathers on the underneath part of her lame upper leg. Vetericyn healed that up but she really doesn't use her leg. I have her in the aviary with the young birds along with another chicken with gimp feet. Her feathers have grown back beautifully! DH was thinking that we should put her down but she is one of my few chickens that is actually laying eggs right now. She is healthy except for her leg and is living the pampered life away from the big girls and the boys. I wish that I had put aprons on my hens before this happened to Cass. That or penned the roos up separate from the hens. All but 3 of those lover boy roos are now residing in freezer camp so that has helped with the over breeding of the hens. Some of my Langshan hens show no sign of worn feathers from breeding. I'm thinking that they are the smart ones who run under the trailer coop when the boys go for them.

Thanks for the warning Pet Rock. I think Ozzie is just young and exuberant. He has 11 girls now and will have 12 when Beakface is finished raising chicks. I am glad Cass is feeling better and having the life now.

Yes, HHandbasket and her DH, Farmer_Lew are my friends IRL. We just had dinner together at The Pub this evening. She has a couple MJ she got from another local BYCer, but they aren't in a breeding program. She is going to order some more White Faced Black Spanish this Spring, from Ideal Poultry, I think. I will go in on her order (to fill the 25 chick minimum) with 10 somethings. Haven't decided yet what I want from hatchery stock, but I wish I hadn't given away my Cinnamon Queens (RSL) a year or so ago, I may hope for some more of them. They were such sweet, docile, prolific layers.

Who is the local BYCer with MJs if you don't mind my asking?? I would much rather take a drive and pick up 6 or 8 hatching eggs or chicks for a broody then have them shipped. I really only want a couple of MJ girls to see how I like em. I have the ability to get shipped eggs but in the words of Bartleby the Scrivener, "I prefer not to"

I ordered an apron for Buck beak with shoulder protectors thanks for the website...I heart paying with paypal.

Kim I think you may be on to something with the poor feather quality being at the root of it. This girl is a hatchery Australorp and she has been ragged looking even without the bare patches. Her feathers just may be more fragile

 

[chiqita]

My Breese all have bare backs. I think for them it is they are not free ranging so they can't get away as well. I ordered saddles for them yesterday. I feed 20 % or higher so I don't think it is protein.

 

[ronott1]

Hatching eggs are so fun!

My husband just ordered a Hovabator 1588 -- Happy Birthday to me!

The new model has an LCD screen reader so that makes him happy too.

I might be a little excited about this.

I want to know about hatching eggs too, we want to do a NYD hatch if we can!

My chickens are almost all running loose. I don't have enough breeders separated to fill an incubator. Umm... really. 2 eggs. Yep that's all I'd have. The other girls are laying fine but I don't want to hatch out a bunch of mutts. Following this to see other people's ideas! Don't want to break the bank on eggs right before Christmas.

Did contact Papa with Papaspoultry in Redding. Put out feelers to see who I know that might be heading towards SAC from Redding around Dec 10. I don't trust the post office. They're clueless around here. I'm about to start chasing down postal workers to educate them on the proper handling of eggs.

Gotta run but looking forward to hearing who your favorite egg suppliers are.

@juststruttin and @chiqita are very good with shipping. Deanne is busy with a tree farm now though. @debs_flock may have some and @Hangtown Farms has very cool Penedesencas. @Meg2000000 may not have pens set up but if she does, she has EO Marraduna Basque Hens and Pita Pintas.

I would be comfortable with any of the shipping to you in Redding. Have them ask the PO to hold the package for pickup if you do not trust your PO Delivery person.

 

[juststruttin]

Ron awhile back you mentioned that you wanted to place/split an order with Ururch Poultry I would be interested but only if I have a broody at the time you want to place the order and if the turn around is fairly quick. Tom and I have a deal where every broody who wants to be a mama badly enough will be allowed to but other than that we have agreed to a chicken moratorium. Getting 5 or so chicks to break a broody fits within those parameters

Now if I have two broodies I may want to throw some SPW into the mix.

I want to try Mottled Javas. I have read mixed reviews but is sounds like those who are patient with their slow maturation are rewarded with a great all around homestead bird so I am game.

It is entirely up to you. I know I am not making it easy but if you are willing to wait and Mr. Uruch can ship chicks promptly when my hen (s) need them I will be happy to split an order.

I would be interested in getting 10 Gold Polish from Urch if you guys need one more person to go in on an order.

 

[chrissyr]

My Breese all have bare backs. I think for them it is they are not free ranging so they can't get away as well. I ordered saddles for them yesterday. I feed 20 % or higher so I don't think it is protein.

Hi chiqita, Where did you order saddles from? i've seen some places, but i'm thinking some with snaps would be good. Hopefully i'll be able to use them despite this rainy weather. I feed about 20% too. And i have 1/10 and a 1/13 ratio. The nails one the Marans look scary though. He is a very sweet boy: feeds his girls and I don't see him harassing them. I think i'll trim the nails and look for saddles. I asked my husband if he has a dremel. He said it's air powered and my chickens would probably have a heart attack if I used it. Have to find a lower powered one.

 

[ronott1]

Hi chiqita, Where did you order saddles from? i've seen some places, but i'm thinking some with snaps would be good. Hopefully i'll be able to use them despite this rainy weather. I feed about 20% too. And i have 1/10 and a 1/13 ratio. The nails one the Marans look scary though. He is a very sweet boy: feeds his girls and I don't see him harassing them. I think i'll trim the nails and look for saddles. I asked my husband if he has a dremel. He said it's air powered and my chickens would probably have a heart attack if I used it. Have to find a lower powered one.

Electric Dremmels are fairly inexpensive at Walmart.

 

[ronott1]

I would be interested in getting 10 Gold Polish from Urch if you guys need one more person to go in on an order.

That is great!

I want to get 12 La Fleche so we are close to 25!

 

[chiqita]

Hi chiqita, Where did you order saddles from? i've seen some places, but i'm thinking some with snaps would be good. Hopefully i'll be able to use them despite this rainy weather. I feed about 20% too. And i have 1/10 and a 1/13 ratio. The nails one the Marans look scary though. He is a very sweet boy: feeds his girls and I don't see him harassing them. I think i'll trim the nails and look for saddles. I asked my husband if he has a dremel. He said it's air powered and my chickens would probably have a heart attack if I used it. Have to find a lower powered one.

I needed wing covers and they are hard to find so I ordered from the link from the thread yesterday.

I got diapers with snaps to keep it from breeding I found them hard to get on. And harder to size properly.

 

[tommysgirl]

I would be interested in getting 10 Gold Polish from Urch if you guys need one more person to go in on an order.

The more the merrier as far as I am concerned but Ron and you may need to proceed w/o me. I selected most of my 2013 birds based upon broodiness so It is entirely possible that I will have a passel o broodies for most of the spring but I wouldn't want to hold you guys up.

Dotty is close to having all of her feathers back after her molt and they are so pretty and bright white...that was until she got under the roosts and someone dropped a cecal poop on her

Don't think we will get enough rain to wash it off so I may have to catch her and give her a sponge bath

My uncle and I share a pen. His hatchery NH roo and two EE girls I bought to keep him company when I broke up his bromance with my NH roo. Day before yesterday he came at me...he didn't jump at me or anything he just rushed me. I actually gave him a whack and got in his face, then he did it again yesterday and I picked him up and carried him around for awhile. When I went back to that pen he stayed a respectable distance away. Hopfully that will be the last of that...he's almost two years old and he would probably make good chicken and dumplings.

 

[ronott1]

The more the merrier as far as I am concerned but Ron and you may need to proceed w/o me. I selected most of my 2013 birds based upon broodiness so It is entirely possible that I will have a passel o broodies for most of the spring but I wouldn't want to hold you guys up.

Dotty is close to having all of her feathers back after her molt and they are so pretty and bright white...that was until she got under the roosts and someone dropped a cecal poop on her

Don't think we will get enough rain to wash it off so I may have to catch her and give her a sponge bath

My uncle and I share a pen. His hatchery NH roo and two EE girls I bought to keep him company when I broke up his bromance with my NH roo. Day before yesterday he came at me...he didn't jump at me or anything he just rushed me. I actually gave him a whack and got in his face, then he did it again yesterday and I picked him up and carried him around for awhile. When I went back to that pen he stayed a respectable distance away. Hopfully that will be the last of that...he's almost two years old and he would probably make good chicken and dumplings.

He is just testing the Warden?

Yes, Great Chicken and Dumplings.